


Late Night Doubts

by kaider_is_my_otp



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Lunar Chronicles - Freeform, kaider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28896165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaider_is_my_otp/pseuds/kaider_is_my_otp
Summary: Just a random Kaider fluff, cuz you can never have too much of those.
Relationships: Kai/Linh Cinder
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	Late Night Doubts

**Author's Note:**

> For the purpose of this fic, I ignored the proposal that happened in Stars Above. Cinder and Kai are just dating, not engaged.

Cinder sneaked into emperor's room as quietly as possible. Kai was sleeping safely tucked in his sheets, breathing deeply. He must have had an exhausting day. Cinder knew what kind of a day he had simply by hearing his breathing pattern.

She took off her shoes and made her way to the bathroom. She just got back to New Beijing after three weeks spent on Luna. Lunars were choosing new government, and as former queen, her attendance was expected.

After a quick shower she came back to the room to find something to sleep in. She found Kai’s old shirt and put it on. It had that sweet musky scent like it’s been worn all day, but still managed to stay fresh. While she quietly changed, Kai stirred in bed. He blinked slowly, his eyes widening when he saw a person in the dark of his room. It took him two seconds to recognize her.

He reached up and grabbed Cinder’s wrist, pulling her to the bed next to him. “Hey,” he said, his voice scratchy from sleep, and kissed her temple.

Cinder nuzzled her nose in his neck, inhaling deeply. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“I’m not,” he said, grabbing her face in his hands and kissing her on the lips. “Did you just come back?”

Cinder nodded, shifting deeper into the covers and wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt completely in peace for the first time in weeks.

 _This,_ she thought as she cuddled with her boyfriend, _this is what I want._

“It’s been a long three weeks,” she said into his neck.

“Actually, it’s been twenty three days and eight hours,” Kai corrected, tangling his fingers in her hair.

Cinder scoffed. “You hadn’t counted the minutes.”

Kai laughed and his chest vibrated with movement. “Sadly, I don’t have a computer in my head telling me how long exactly it’s been since I’ve seen the love of my life. It would make my lonely nights much more bearable.”

Cinder tried not to grin. She lifted her face from his chest and kissed him, long and soft. When they both ran out of breath, she pulled away. She traced his lips with her metal finger, imagining she could feel the softness with her fingertips. “I missed you.”

Kai gently stroked her face with his knuckles. “I’m pretty sure I missed you more. Just ask Torin. He’ll gladly inform you what a miserable and distracted leader I’ve been in your absence.”

She rolled her eyes, not surprised at all. “If only your people knew what a sap their emperor is.”

Kai shifted on his back and pulled Cinder on top of him. “I’m pretty sure they all suspect. After all, I’ve always been told I don’t know how to conceal my feelings.”

They fell in comfortable silence, listening each other breathe. Despite the calmness she felt, Cinder couldn’t stop invading thoughts that always appear when she was in emperor’s suite.

Kai felt the tension in her shoulders as he drew lazy circles on her back. “Something’s bothering you. Tell me.”

She hesitated for a second, but Kai’s touch worked like magic and she started talking, pressing her face deeper in his chest. “This is emperor’s suite.”

Kai stayed silent for a second, not sure how to react to such a basic fact. “As an emperor, I am well aware.”

Every time they would come close to this topic, Kai basically mocked her for being ridiculous. He could never understand why she was so bothered by staying in his room. She lifted her head and moved to a more comfortable position. She was careful not to put whole weight of her metal leg on Kai as she lay on top of him. When she looked down, his face was nothing short of serious.

“Yes, well…” She stumbled over her words, not able to express her thoughts properly. “You’re an emperor and this is your room, but I don’t really have any business doing here. You do know I have my own set of rooms in the guest wing?”

Kai’s eyebrows furrowed. He untangled his arm from Cinder’s waist and ran a hand through his silky black hair. “What do you mean? You’re the only one that should be here. Except for me, of course.”

“But not legally.” Cinder bit her bottom lip. “Only emperor and empress should stay here, and I--,”

Kai let out a small laugh. “Is that what’s bothering you? That you’re not an empress, so you can’t stay here? If that’s the case, I can easily solve that problem. In fact, I actually have it here somewhere…”

He sat up in bed, pulling Cinder with him, and opened his nightstand drawer, searching for something. Snippets of their conversation on the balcony right after the revolution few years back flashed in Cinder’s mind. He had the same spark in his eyes that he had right in that moment. She grabbed his hand and stopped him before he could do something stupid. Like propose to her.

“No, no,” she said, trying to close the drawer. He wasn’t that willing to be stopped in his mission. “Kai, that’s not what I meant.”

He gave up, his face falling a bit. He laid back down on bed. Cinder stayed above, legs on both sides of his hips. She still felt flustered with what he had potentially almost done.

“Every time I try to propose, you stop me,” Kai said, pouting a bit. He tried to look angry, but corners of his lips were turned upward. “I don’t know how you expect me to do it if you don’t let me even try.”

Cinder shook her head and placed her hands on his stomach. “I don’t want you to do it in the middle of serious conversation. You’re just avoiding the topic. Besides, do you actually expect me to believe you have a ring in your nightstand right now?”

Kai raised his eyebrow, giving her the same charming smile he gave her the first time they met on the market. It was her favorite smile of his, reserved only for her. “You know me well enough to know I absolutely have a ring in there.”

Cinder rolled her eyes, trying to turn the conversation back to the beginning. “Can we go back to the fact that I shouldn’t be here? It just seems a bit inappropriate. You know I don’t really care that much about tradition, but I don’t want to put you in uncomfortable position.”

“Cinder, we’ve been together for five years. Believe me, everyone knows you’re here.”

Cinder fidgeted with her fingers. “That doesn’t make it any better.”

Kai exhaled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to lay back on him. “There’s no law that says that person other that emperor or empress can’t stay in imperial suite. And if there was that law, I would change it.”

With his arms holding her and his lips pressed to the crown of her head, she felt a bit better. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. Believe me, there’s nothing to worry about. No one is judging you.” His lips turned into a smile on her forehead, as if he remembered a fond memory. “I once overheard maids referring to you as future empress.”

“Stars above,” Cinder mumbled into his chest.

Kai found a great fun in her embarrassment. “I’m pretty sure when we are together people are just waiting for me to get down on one knee and propose.”

“Stop talking.” Cinder pinched his arm, but couldn’t stop the smile spreading on her face. No matter how much she pretended otherwise, the prospect of Kai proposing evoked a certain warm feeling in her chest.

“I’m telling you, during every Peace Ball people are staring at me, giving me these weird looks.” He sighed. “I feel bad for disappointing them.”

“Don’t think even for a second of proposing publically,” Cinder warned him. Their lives were already under magnifying glass, with media and basically whole world knowing every detail. She wished they could keep at least something to themselves.

Kai kissed her lips, looking at her eyes with so much intensity and care it made her feel small and delicate right there in his arms. “Believe me, it will only be the two of us. Our wedding will be huge event, so I thought we could at least have a private engagement.”

Cinder hummed in agreement. “I think that’s enough of engagement and wedding talk for one night. Let’s go to sleep.”

She rolled off of Kai, curling on her side next to him. He wrapped his arms around her in an instant, pulling her closer to him. His nose was buried in her hair, his breathing deep like he was ready to fall asleep right that second.

A minute later, when dreams were already overtaking her, Kai spoke softly, “Empress Selene. It glides nicely.”

Cinder didn’t bother to answer, only kicked him in the leg. Kai laughed one last time, and soon they both fell in deep slumber.


End file.
